Highlands of Roan Focus Area
George and Jean Nilsen donated their 49-acre Little Cove Creek Farm in Carter County, TN to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in 1984, reserving a life-estate to use and enjoy the property during their lifetimes. Now almost 40 years later, SAHC has purchased a 17-acre tract to add to the preserve. This new acquisition connects SAHC’s Little Cove Creek Preserve with the Cherokee National Forest.
Little Cove Creek
New Waterfall Access
“This special slice of land was an important addition to our wonderful Little Cove Creek Preserve,” says Land Protection Director Michelle Pugliese. “The property can be seen from the Appalachian Trail, and the main branch of Little Cove Creek, classified as a Tennessee Exceptional Stream, flows along the western boundary. It has been SAHC’s long-time goal to acquire this tract to bridge the Little Cove Creek Preserve with the national forest.”
The preserve addition protects water quality in Little Cove Creek.
New Conservation Properties
US Forest Service
Other SAHC Preserves / Easements
State of TN or NC Land
The protected portion of Little Cove Creek and a small waterfall are special features of the newly acquired land. During our June Jamboree partnership hike with Pathways to Parks this summer, hikers enjoyed seeing the new tract and waterfall in person. The intrepid Challenge Hike participants for the June Jamboree charted an offtrail course, descending from the Hackline Trail on Cherokee National Forest and following
8 | View from the Highlands 2023 Vol. 2 | Land Protection Updates
Little Cove Creek into SAHC’s preserve. It is a lovely destination for guided hikes in our Connecting People with Land Program! “Acquiring this tract will enable SAHC to maintain a short interpretive trail loop, allowing guests to our Little Cove Creek Preserve to visit the cascading waterfall as well as historic gravesites, rock walls, and foundations on the original property,”
